Ever since the Liu family's main branch moved to a new house, Aunt Chai would bring Liu Fang there from time to time, but they couldn't get in.
Liu Fang did not marry Prince Su, but she did not dare to marry an ordinary man.
So Aunt Chai often brought Liu Fang here, hoping that Liu's father would soften his heart one day.
Father Liu was far from soft-hearted. He had been to the battlefield before and knew that people like Concubine Chai's family shouldn't spend too much time together. Instead, they should stay away from them as soon as possible to avoid being bitten one day.
When Prince Su announced the decree, the Liu family also received silver from the emperor. After all, living in the outside world required money for everything. The emperor wanted the Liu family to focus more on farming and researching culture media, so the royal family couldn't let the Liu family always do embroidery for sale.
After the imperial court started selling culture medium, fewer people went to the Liu family's main branch to buy it, which meant the Liu family lost another source of income. The emperor's gift of silver to the Liu family was also a way to give them more time to make money later and gradually live a better life.
Father Liu was not a stingy man. Since he had regained his title of Marquis, even if the family had little money, they would still have a place to live. He was not concerned about the place, but was afraid that his daughter would be in danger.
My daughter is getting older. Even if she and He Xiyuan are engaged, who knows if someone will mess around and deliberately disgust them. It's only right that someone protects my daughter. She can do more research on those culture media. My daughter is my most important treasure.
There were more empty rooms in the house and more servants.
Liu Qingyun was still studying with Master Li, who had learned that he was the grandson of Marquis Jingning, who had been restored to the title of Marquis. Madam Li had originally thought that the Liu family would send Liu Qingyun to study in the provincial capital, but to her surprise, the Liu family still allowed Liu Qingyun to continue to stay in his private school.
When Master Li saw that Marquis Jingning did not let Liu Qingyun leave, and that Liu Qingyun was really smart, Master Li became even better towards Liu Qingyun.
At the Li family, Master Li was still expressing his feelings about this matter to his wife.
"They originally thought you had good character, which is why they let the child study with you." Madam Li believed that her husband was a very good person. If it weren't for various unforeseen circumstances, her husband would definitely be more than just a juren. "If a person is only good at studying but has bad character, that's not enough."
"How many people in those wealthy families care about whether a person's character is good?" Master Li said. "Besides, there are more than just one or two people with good character in this world. As long as the mistake is not serious, they can find someone else."
Master Li knew this very well. He was not the only master with good character. He was not so naive as to think that he was the most powerful.
"Those students have never seen any high-ranking officials, so don't let their character change," said Mrs. Li.
"Yes." Master Li nodded. For this reason, even if he paid more attention to Liu Qingyun, he would not treat other students any differently. He wanted to let those students know that since they were all studying in the academy, their identities were the same: they were all students.
Liu Qingyun still went to the private school in the morning and came back in the evening, but he had a servant following him and someone else brought him lunch at noon.
Liu Yulian had indeed been tinkering with culture medium recently, but she hadn't been tinkering with rice culture medium. She believed the emperor would definitely have people continue research on the basic culture medium. Since Liu Yulian hadn't had anyone plant rice, it would have been difficult for her to get these culture mediums.
Salt-alkaline rice...these rice varieties are special and require people to research them slowly.
Liu Yulian did have some rice seeds in her space, but they weren't very useful. She needed to let the people research it themselves instead of her taking everything out. The key point was that she couldn't take out that much.
"Those grapes are growing well." Father Liu would go to the fields from time to time to check on them, mainly to see the grapes. "But grapes aren't as lucky as strawberries. Do we have to have them shipped to the capital to sell?"
"Sell some and use the rest to make wine." Liu Yulian didn't want to keep selling grapes, grape wine, luminous cups... Of course, Liu Yulian would not make cups or the like. Normally, life skills rarely include making cups, pottery jars, etc.
Game developers basically don’t create such life skills, such as wine. It may be because developers think wine is more elegant and more expensive... Anyway, players don’t know what developers are thinking, players only know to hold on to their wallets.
However, even if players hold onto their wallets, they still rush to buy new things when they see them released. It's as if buying them first means they've made a profit, and even if the price of those things drops later, at least they're happy.
"It's up to you." Father Liu had no objection.
"Let's build a few houses over there by the grape field and have someone look after it when the time comes," Liu Yulian said. "Aunt Zhang did a great job before."
Liu Yulian believed that Widow Zhang was capable, not greedy for money, and knew how to let her children and grandchildren do things better. Even if they didn't say much, Widow Zhang would think about it.
"Let her manage the farm." Father Liu said, "This farm will be your dowry in the future."
Father Liu had no intention of coveting his daughter's things. Those were bought with his daughter's own money, so she should take them with her when she got married. Father Liu used the silver rewarded by the emperor to buy some things and mountain tops. Those things belonged to the Jingning Marquis Mansion and would be passed down to his children in the future.
Father Liu was still thinking about buying some new things in the capital, but they were not in the capital now, so the most he could do was to see if anyone could help them buy some land.
However, the silver he had was still a little short, so Father Liu didn't think too much about it for the time being.
Father Liu bought the land and used the culture medium prepared by Liu Yulian to plant some grapes, fruit trees, and wheat fields. Father Liu didn't know how to do business, so he thought this was the most reliable way.
At least until Liu Yanjing achieved military merit and his father returned to the capital, the income from the land would be enough to support them. His father was a marquis and had a salary, but many officials and nobles did not rely on salaries for their livelihoods. Most of them had other assets, even a small shop, which would provide other income.
"Okay, father, tell them." Liu Yulian nodded. "Pay them monthly. The work in different months is different. If you pay them the same amount, they have to work for a full year."
"You don't have to worry about these things." Father Liu will take care of these things.
Liu Yulian had recently acquired a large quantity of silk thread, intending to make pants for her brother and He Xiyuan. She couldn't help but wonder if she could make an invulnerable mask. After all, the head was important, but it could be used for spying, and no one would use that much silk thread to make a hood.
That seems a bit exaggerated.
Liu Yulian couldn't help but laugh when she thought of this. She thought, why not give it a try? Whether it works for them or not is their business. By the way, the important thing is the neck, which is also a vulnerable part.
"Let the servants get the silk threads, you don't have to work too hard." Father Liu knew that Liu Yulian had made a lot of silk threads. The emperor had rewarded the Jingning Marquis' Mansion with silver, but there was a person in the family who was very good at spending money, so the silver was nothing at all.
Father Liu thought that he still had to work hard to make money. Since he couldn't do business, he asked his wife to use the money to open a shop.
Mother Liu had previously managed her own dowry and the household expenses. She could read the shop's account books and the household's. She wasn't good at making rouge and powder, nor was she good at cooking, but she could get someone to open a shop to buy and sell powder.
So, Liu's mother asked about Xie Pozi. Xie Pozi's nephew had redeemed her, saving her from exile or being sold. The slaves in the homes of families whose property was confiscated were generally sold by the government.
The fact that Xie Pozi's nephew was able to redeem her and let her live at home shows that Xie Pozi's nephew has a good character. As for the fact that Xie Pozi has been staying at her nephew's house for a long time and may have had some conflicts with her nephew's wife, that's normal, as every family has its ups and downs.
You can't deny Xie Po's family just because of that little bump, and Liu's mother is short of manpower, so she said this to Xie Po.
"It's just that we have to stay here for the time being," said Liu's mother. "Even if we let him open a shop in the capital first, we won't be able to take care of him all the time if we're not in the capital."
Behind the restaurants and shops in the capital are many powerful people.
The Liu family is not in the capital, so it is inevitable that some people think that the shop opened by the Liu family is easy to fool. It depends on how the shopkeeper does it.
"Madam, Miss, we have to go back to the capital." Mrs. Xie said, "It would be better to ask them to do something in the capital so that it will be easier to handle when you return."
Mrs. Xie didn't want her nephew to run away to the northwest, not because she couldn't bear to see him suffer, but because the Liu family also needed someone to open a shop in the capital. Mrs. Xie knew that wine was a good thing that could be stored well. If the girl really made wine, perhaps she should have it shipped to the capital to sell.
In this case, it would be better for the Liu family to have someone in the capital.
The Liu family's former servants had long since dispersed, and some of Liu's mother's confidants had also gone to other houses. Now was a good opportunity to show off.
When the Liu family was in trouble, Mrs. Xie came to the northwest to serve the Liu family, and she has always been so dedicated.
Of course, it was impossible for Liu's mother to let Xie Po down, so she would use Xie Po even more and also give some benefits to Xie Po's family.
At this time, Liu Yanqing from the fourth house lost hundreds of taels of silver in gambling, five or six hundred taels of silver, just like that. In fact, Liu Yanqing didn't have that much silver at all, but because his biological father was the Marquis of Jingning, and he was yelling, the gambling house kept asking him to gamble when he had no money.
Then, Liu Yanqing lost a lot of money.
It just so happened that Liu Yanqing did not live with Marquis Jingning and others. The people in the gambling house were not very clear about the internal situation of Marquis Jingning's mansion, so they went to the Liu family's main house with Liu Yanqing.
"There is no Fourth Young Master in the mansion." This was the reply from the servant of the Liu family's main house.
"I am Marquis Jingning's biological son, his fourth son." Liu Yanqing said quickly, "If you don't believe me, go in and ask."
Liu Yanqing was anxious. Five or six hundred taels of silver should not be a big deal to Marquis Jingning and the others, after all, they all had the title of marquis.
"They've split up, they're no longer one family," the servant added. They'd seen Concubine Chai and the others arrive before. The Marquis had already issued instructions that the various branches had already split up, and that no one could be allowed in without the Marquis and his wife's permission.
The masters of the mansion did not say to let these people in, so how could these servants dare to let them in?
What’s the use of having a biological son? The family has been divided.
The people in the gambling house frowned after hearing this. They wanted to cheat some money from Liu Yanqing, not offend the Jingning Marquis Mansion.
They had split up the family a long time ago, not when Liu Yanqing was gambling in the gambling house.
The people in the gambling house had nothing to say, so they could only ask Liu Yanqing to go home to get the silver, and the group went to Shiyuan Village.
"You guys are trying to trick my husband." Lin Xiaowan wasn't that stupid. She came out of the kitchen with a kitchen knife in her hand. "Today, either you break his legs, or you drag him to serve you tea and water. If you want something else, then ask the knife in your hand if it agrees."
Lin Xiaowan had long known that Lin Yanqing might make a fuss because his father Liu had been reinstated as a marquis, but she had never expected that Liu Yanqing would dare to lose five or six hundred silver coins at once.
"Or do you just want to see the officials and see how they sentence you?" Lin Xiaowan sneered. "Let him go to jail, that's fine too."
Aunt Zhao originally wanted to save her son, but he owed too much money. She couldn't bear to see his legs broken, but she knew that these people would not dare to break Liu Yanqing's legs.
Even if the Liu family split up, it would still be a broken bone. If the gambling house people dared to do that to Liu Yanqing, then they would not be able to continue running the gambling house here. Don't say that a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake, the local snake must be strong enough.
Local tyrants who are not strong enough can easily be crushed by the army.
"His elder brother is still in the military camp." Aunt Zhao said, "Even if the family split up, his elder brother didn't let him return to the Marquis' Mansion, but it's not your turn to bully him."
"Yes, yes, yes." Liu Yanqing said quickly.
“…” It was so frustrating. The people in the gambling house had never met such a rude and shameless person.
The people in the gambling house really didn't dare to break Liu Yanqing's legs, and they didn't even dare to search for things at will. They were also afraid of the kitchen knife in Lin Xiaowan's hand.
"Forget it, we are unlucky this time." This is the only thing the people in the gambling house can say, because gambling itself is not something that can be seen in the light.
"Why are you so unlucky? I'm going to take a look at your gambling house and see if the floor of your gambling house is hard enough. Is it made of stone or jade?" There was no way Lin Xiaowan would let the people from the gambling house go like this. Yes, she would not let them go.
Lin Xiaowan glanced at her husband and said, "You, go too."
“…” The people in the gambling house had no idea what Lin Xiaowan was going to do.
When Lin Xiaowan arrived at the gambling house, she stomped her foot and cracked the stone slab. The people in the gambling house knew that Lin Xiaowan was there to intimidate them.
"That's it. Let him gamble from now on. His mother and I won't be able to pay him back anyway." Lin Xiaowan slashed the kitchen knife into the table. "If you have the guts, come on. Bring more thugs and beat us to death. If you don't, just think about the people behind us. Our family was separated from the Marquis' Mansion, but... do you really think we have no use for us? As if I have no family?"
Lin Xiaowan really didn't expect her family to help her in any way, but using it at this time could also have some deterrent effect.
"Oh, actually, I'm nothing special. I'm just a general's concubine's daughter." Lin Xiaowan said, "A concubine's daughter is really not that good, not as good as a legitimate daughter. Otherwise, why would I marry such a bastard?"
“…” The people in the gambling house didn’t think it was a ‘small matter’ at all.
The manager of the gambling house came over. He didn't want the money at all and just wanted to send the big Buddha away quickly.
"Madam, even if we treat you this time, you don't have to pay back the money." The steward said with an apologetic smile.
"It's okay. We've invited him this time, and you can continue to do so." Lin Xiaowan said. She grabbed Liu Yanqing's collar and dragged him in front of the steward. "You can let him continue gambling."
"I can do it." Liu Yanqing smiled at the manager.
"From now on, we will never let him come in to gamble." The manager said seriously. What are you laughing at? Their gambling house doesn't want an old man who can't move.
"How many gambling houses are there in this town?" Lin Xiaowan asked again, "If you like my husband, please treat him to more."
What the hell is this? The person in charge is not happy at all.
"How about this, if he comes, I'll come and see him too," Lin Xiaowan said, "I'll just stand at the door. It'll also let people know that you can use the people sent from the Marquis' Mansion. Who knows, others might even think you have powerful connections."
Lin Xiaowan pulled the kitchen knife out from the table and sharpened it on the table.
“…” The manager was silent.
From that day on, the gambling houses in the town were closed to Liu Yanqing, and even ordinary people were unwilling to gamble with him outside. Because if they gambled with Liu Yanqing, apart from winning the small amount of money Liu Yanqing had, they would not be able to get more money, and they might even be visited by Liu Yanqing's vicious wife.
After the matter was resolved, Lin Xiaowan took Liu Yanqing back.
"It's right that the people from the main house don't let you in." When Lin Xiaowan learned that Liu Yanqing first brought people from the gambling house to the Liu family's main house, she was very angry.
They wanted to separate the family business in the first place, so how could they have the nerve to go to the eldest wife's house now?
Lin Xiaowan hadn't initially instigated the split, but she hadn't said much, her silence a tacit agreement. She didn't have the nerve to go to the eldest wife's house and say she hadn't thought about splitting up before, and it was impossible for her to say it was someone else who was suggesting it.
"Go back." Lin Xiaowan said, "Oh, believe it or not, if you continue like this, I will break your legs when we have a son."
"Don't." Liu Yanqing had been chased and beaten by Lin Xiaowan many times before. He never thought that Lin Xiaowan could still intimidate the people in the gambling house. He was scared that Lin Xiaowan would really break his legs.
The news of Lin Xiaowan's great performance in the gambling house quickly spread and also reached the Liu family's eldest wife.
When Liu's father learned that Liu Yanqing had come to his house with a group of people, he felt something was wrong. After further investigation, he found out that Liu Yanqing had gone gambling. The first wife would not help Liu Yanqing pay back the debt, so the fourth wife could do whatever she wanted.
"You have good taste." Father Liu said to Mother Liu.
Lin Xiaowan from the fourth room was the one favored by Liu's mother. As the mistress of the house, she had to worry about the marriages of her concubines' sons and daughters and had to arrange marriages for them.
Liu's mother wasn't a mean person. She certainly hoped that her illegitimate son's wife would be good. If her illegitimate son's wife was good, then the family would be much more peaceful. It wasn't easy for a illegitimate son to find a good marriage, and it wasn't easy to find a suitable one either.
"What's so good about your vision?" Liu's mother shook her head. "Yan Jing has already divorced her."
"Wait until he chooses a new marriage." Father Liu coughed lightly. "It's okay if he makes a mistake occasionally."
"Oh, aren't the other families still clamoring to split up the family business?" Mother Liu said again.
"..." Father Liu was silent for a moment, "Your vision is indeed poor."
Then, Father Liu was stepped on hard by Mother Liu.
In the capital, Prince Su and his entourage returned to the capital. He Xichen did not write a letter to tell his family that his leg had healed. He went straight home, got off the carriage, and walked into the house, so that everyone in the Duke of Cheng's mansion was stunned.
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